Charlotte Ford's Baptism

                              Brother Brimley, Charlotte Ford, Elder Wardle and Elder Leonhardt

                               Brother Brimley, Charlotte Ford, Elder Leonhardt, Elder Wardle

Elder Wardle and Elder Leonhardt

Gilbert Temple Pictures

 

January 28 2014 "I Am Ready and Excited For Change"

Well we just found out about all the changes that are going to be

happening in our zone for transfers, it is tomorrow. My companion
Elder Wardle is leaving as well as almost half of the zone. So with
the change I will be taking over the zone with a number of new
missionaries that I will need to get to know as well as a number of
new leaders in the zone. It will be exciting and fun! I'm ready for
another challenge. I am so grateful for being able to be back with
Elder Wardle for this time because before he came here as you may
recall from my former letters I was having a tough time with some of
the people around me. Now after being with someone that knows what's
going on and is a good missionary I have had sometime to get back on
my feet. With the "brake/break" if you would call it that I feel rejuvenated
and healed. I now understand the importance of brakes/breaks when you are in
the rough or working hard. In the scriptures it talks about how God
rested on the seventh day of the creation. From that we can learn that
one he rested/took a break and two he WORKED the other six.

Yesterday we had a phenomenal evening where we were able to teach a

couple that wanted us to come over and tell them about the Book of
Mormon as well as another family who the father of the family wanted
to take the missionary lessons, both were great. The couple had been
searching for a church that fits what they personally believe so went
to Google and searched about religious groups and Mormon.org came up
and requested for us to come over. They moved here from Michigan and
the reason they came here was because they prayed together to know
where they needed to go after selling a business and received an
answer that they should be here. This was the first time meeting with
them so we invited them to be baptized. It's always nerve racking to
do so but it was so good that we asked because the husband thought
that you have to go to church for years before being considered the
opportunity to be baptized as well as once you are you have to be a
preacher and start knocking doors. So we were able to work through
their concerns. Second lesson was with someone who has been coming to
church for about 15 years without anyone inviting him to be baptized
and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited him as well to
baptism. He mentioned that he is still praying to know if it's true
but isn't sure what is holding him back from being baptized.

This week Charlotte Ford got baptized. She looks and acts just like

Elder Wardle's grandmother, from what he says. The baptism was great
and a lot of the people showed up to support her, including her son
from Washington. She wants to serve people and get involved in
genealogy which is great because there are a lot of people that
specialize in that in the area I serve.

Went to the Gilbert Temple open house on Wednesday and wow it is

magnificent! It's still open to the public till Feb 18th for anyone to
go and see the inside. It is the largest temple the church has built
in 17 years and you can tell because you can see it from miles away.
The couple that gave us a ride down were very interesting people as
well. The husband is a helicopter pilot and 3 years ago was on a
flight by himself and crashed. Told us that a number of things
happened that day that were different than normal and the way he
crashed by a transmission failure he should have died for certain. His
legs don't work completely but for the most part. He said through his
whole experience he came to understand the power of prayer. I am
trying to get his written copy of it to keep. Anyways back to the
temple, you need to see it if you are nearby, if not there was a
special on the news here and a camera crew was able to go through and
televise it so look for that. Fantastic!

Well I better get going seeing how your time is so precious and your

life is in a constant hustle, for those in the cold trying to find
warmth. Best of luck and be safe. I miss you and love you all!

Love Elder Leonhardt

Sent from my iPad

January 13, 2014 " This is why I am serving a mission"

This week was fantastic and packed with lots of things, hopefully you

will think that all of this was exciting because for me it was.

We taught a number of people this week from many different backgrounds

and histories. Duncan is an elderly man in his 70/80's who is a bible

scholar but doesn't like to contend. He just had a triple bypass heart

surgery and was walking around without being sore 5 days later. He

said it was by the grace of God. I agree. We taught about the

restoration of the gospel to him and he understood all of it and had

bible verses memorized about it. It was intersecting to teach another

person that is scripturally sound.

Then taught a new lady named Charlotte. She is in her 80's and was

found by another elderly man of the congregation who took flyers of

a joint concert of a Catholic Church and a LDS Church. He invited his

neighbors to come when he found Charlotte outside the house. She went with

them and then came to church 3 times and now she wants us to teach

her. In the lesson she explained a little more of her background where

she remembers going to the Salt Lake Temple visitors center and seeing

the tabernacle. She remembers a lot of it like it was yesterday. Her

whole life she was searching for a church that held high standards and

was not centered on money. She said most of her friends back in

Washington wouldn't go to church with her anywhere. So when she was

planning on moving she prayed that she could find a church and friends

that fit her standards. Now she is preparing herself to be baptized on

Feb. 1.

Taught another family about temples as they are going to see the open

house of the Gilbert Temple. The father is the only one that is apart

of the church but the others have gone. We shared a video about

temples and talked about it and the importance of temples in the Old

Testament as well as now. They loved it and are even more excited to

go and take a look at it on the inside.

Pictures: Opening Christmas Gifts

Opening Christmas Gifts Is Fun!

 

 

Talk "Humility in Accepting the Atonement"

My talk on Sunday 12/29/13

Humility In Accepting The Atonement.

Opening remarks.
Thank Bishopric and all those who support Elder Wardle and I.
Pray that the spirit will teach us both what we need to learn.
Speaking on humbly accepting the atonement.

1st story is Enos and his inquiring of The Lord.
Enos 1:4-8
    Soul hungered, knelt down, supplication (the action of asking or
begging for something earnestly or humbly, because of thy faith.

Richard G Scott talked about humility as "to be teachable. Humility
permits you to be tutored by the Spirit and to be taught from sources
inspired by the Lord, such as the scriptures. The seeds of personal
growth and understanding germinate and flourish in the fertile soil of
humility. Their fruit is spiritual knowledge to guide you here and
hereafter."

I am amazed at other examples of humility in the Scriptures such as
John the Baptist declaring of the Savior, “He must increase, but I
must decrease.” Think of Moroni pleading with us not to condemn him
because of his imperfections, but to thank God that He made Moroni’s
imperfections manifest so that we can learn to be wiser than Moroni
was. Nor should we forget the exclamation of Moses, who, after
experiencing the greatness of God and His creations, acknowledged that
“for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had
supposed.” Moses’ recognition of our total dependence on God is the
beginning of true humility. (“To Walk Humbly with Thy God”)

So how can one know if they are humble? Marlin K. Jensen of the 70
said “if you think you have it, you don’t.” Try to develop humility
and be sure we didn’t know when we got it, and then we would have it.
But if we ever thought we had it, we wouldn’t.  (“To Walk Humbly with
Thy God")

An English author John Ruskin’s adds his thoughts that "the first test
of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean, by humility,
doubt of his own power. … [But really] great men … have a curious …
feeling that … greatness is not in them, but through them. … And they
see something Divine … in every other man … , and are endlessly,
foolishly, incredibly merciful.” End quote (“To Walk Humbly with Thy
God”)

As Jesus Christ was teaching some lawyers and Pharisees about humility
in Luke 14:11 He stated "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be
abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:11)
Humility is the characteristic that will allow us to be more effective
tools in the hands of The Lord, to bring forth His holy work.

When we have done wrong or have been wronged it is our own humility in
submitting to The Lord in prayer that we need His help to get us
through that will help us feel the cleansing power of the atonement.
That is our act of faith, and we must continue in faith, that he can
carry "the transgressors prayer to God, to the offended party in
apology, and, where necessary, to his priesthood leader in
confession?" (“To Walk Humbly with Thy God”)

Our prayers to The Lord shows Him of our desire to be perfected and to
take upon ourselves of His will, setting aside our own. The perfect
example of this is Jesus Christ, who set the example while performing
the atonement in Gethsemane. In Matthew ch 26:36-44 He exclaims 3
times "Oh Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Truly humbling ourselves before The Lord will always drive us to say
"thy will be done." "And because who we are does affect what we do,
our submissiveness will be reflected in our reverence, gratitude, and
willingness to accept callings, counsel, and correction." Then we must
accept the atonement into our lives to transform us into a better
being this day than the last.  (“To Walk Humbly with Thy God”)

Our salvation depends on believing in and accepting the Atonement.
Such acceptance requires a continual effort to understand it more
fully. The Atonement accelerates our course of learning by making it
possible for our natures to become perfect. All of us have sinned and
need to repent to fully pay our part of the debt. When we sincerely
repent, the Savior’s magnificent Atonement pays the rest of that
debt.3 (The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope)

We can accept the atonement through Priesthood ordinances as described
in D&C 84: 20   As stated " in the ordinances thereof, the power of
godliness is manifest"

We are commanded to remember the singular events of the mediation,
Crucifixion, and the Atonement by partaking of the sacrament weekly.
In the spirit of the sacramental prayers, we partake of the bread and
water in remembrance of the body and the blood sacrificed for us, and
we are to remember Him and keep His commandments so that we may always
have His Spirit to be with us. (The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope)

We must always be striving to receive and prepare for the next
priesthood ordinance by daily scripture study and prayer. As there are
numerous blessings, both seen and unseen, waiting for us to simply act
with a willing and humble heart.

We can then look to the ultimate blessing of the Atonement--to become
one with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called individually
by name as He warmly welcomes us home with a radiant smile, beckoning
us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love. How glorious
this experience will be if we can feel worthy enough to be in His
presence! The free gift of His great atoning sacrifice for each of us
is the only way we can be exalted enough to stand before Him and see
Him face-to-face. The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the
perfect love the Savior has for each and all of us. It is a love which
is full of mercy, patience, grace, equity, long-suffering, and, above
all, forgiving. (The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope)

What a message to carry to others that are around us who are searching
for direction and hope. That is why I am on a mission to give that
hope to those found and unfound brothers and sisters who need the
message that our redeemer lives and his arm of mercy is extended
always. Like the prophets and apostles have done going out like the
servant in the parable of the great supper "Go out quickly into the
streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the
maimed, and the halt, and the blind. Go out into the highways and
hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."
(Luke 14:23)

Testimony
In closing I go back to the beginning with Enos to pray that you and I
will use the atonement to know we are prepared to have the experience
Enos so desired as we approach the day we are reunited with our Father
in heaven
"For I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and
shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and
he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place
prepared for you in the mansions of my Father." (Enos:27)

I humbly say in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

January 1 2014 Looking Back

Thank you all so much for the letters and gifts you gave me for

Christmas, they were all great! I liked the gift a day project that my

family did for me and all the effort my mom put into it, it was worth

it I promise you. This Christmas was different than the last and much

different than the ones at home but nevertheless it was still good.

Christmas Day I got to Skype my family! Which I saw the photos put up

with me on the tv on top on the tv haha. Since when did you get those

tv's? The weirdest thing about seeing my family for Christmas was the

feeling afterwards of not being trunky. For those that don't

understand that term it means that a missionary is wanting to go home

and is having thoughts of packing his stuff up in a trunk and heading

home. So being trunky means homesick in a way. Normally lots of

missionaries feel that way after interacting with people from home or

when people ask you questions about coming home like my mother asking

about my flight plans 10 months from now...I still love you after

Skyping I had none of those feelings and the same with my companion

who was Skyping for the 3rd time as well. It was good to see all of

you. Peter you look a lot older! People are soon going to be thinking

that you are the 8th child and I am the youngest, not okay

Also that day we played football with 6 other elders in a park and boy

am I not in shape for sprints. We all were not doing so good because

none of us have done intense workouts like that so I am going to try

and do better at preparing for that before my departure. We also went

and ate with a family that day and they feed us some fried turkey.

When we got there it had 5 mins left to cook in this large container

full of oil in the backyard. He pulled it out and it did not look like

a turkey but I sure was good. The skin on it was so crispy and

flavorful, I loved it and would do it again in a heart beat. It wasn't

the healthiest but it does take care of the whole dry turkey

situation.

Went on an exchange with another elder on sat. and had a lesson with a

man who has had a lot of health problems in his life such as 3 spinal

tumors, 4 hip surgeries and some other things all before he was 12 and

has had some other stuff as well throughout his life. He often asked

the question about why is this all happening to me and why do I have

to have all of these trials, is it because I have more to learn or

what? Why did both of my parents die in the same year and a couple of

other cousins and relatives. He had a lot of specific detail questions

as well that was hindering his learning of the simple truths. The

lesson ended on the note that we don't know everything nor do we need

to. We are to act on faith and allow God to do the rest, learning on

the way. Many things we don't know why it happens and we might not

know for a long time maybe not even until we die. We will someday

learn why though when judgment day comes and then we will understand.

So for now try and learn and perfect the basics in life and move from

there.

My companion and I have our talks this Sunday and both went well. We

both felt like we did to much of one thing and not the other. Elder

Wardle felt like he used a little to much personal stories and I felt

like I used a little to much doctrine and not enough personal stories.

I talked on humbly accepting the atonement and he talked about

receiving the Holy Ghost. We were both very nervous before going up

there to speak but afterwards I felt like writing another talk because

that was only the 3rd talk I have given in my life. I did ok but I

want to perfect it.

About my plans to send letters home to the parents of the missionaries

in the zone. I heard some news from the parents as a couple of them

posted on Facebook about an elder who wrote them, one asked me if it

was me because his mom didn't put my name in the post. To let you know

this was NOT for personal recognition or to "fish for compliments" it

was for their parents to hear from a 3rd party how great their sons

and daughters were doing and what they were learning. It was a gift

for the parents and because of it I saw a son and a mother become more

attached to one another, trust be made, and a heart warmed from a

missionary that previously had some hidden anger at me. The parents

all received a picture of us as well.

As I look back on this year and what I have accomplished I feel I have

grown more than I thought possible. I feel so much more sure of who I

am, what I want from my life, definitely how to look at people with a

positive image, and have learned how to listen and recognize what

people are saying. I know I have grown in a greater love and

appreciation for God and Jesus Christ and what they have done for me

and for others. I have made some good friends, but I have learned how

to make friends and be a better friend even more. I felt like in the

past I was an okay friend to those I grew up without most of the time

I was pretty weird to them and now I feel I can be much more loyal to

them and others. I have also grow a perspective on what matters most

in this life and that is family and serving others. I plan on

excelling at those areas for the rest of my life.

Thank you everyone for all of your support and the love you have shown

me. Thank you for the high expectations you hold for me and concern

you have for my. I love you all!

Love lots Elder Caleb Leonhardt

January 6 2014 Happy New Year!

This past week was awesome starting off with a meeting with Tracey

Watson, the director of proselyting in the LDS church for the world. I was

asked as was 9 others from the mission to meet with him and talk about

a couple topics he was assigned to receive information on. I have been

asked not to disclose a lot of information on what we talked about but

he did say that the information given, I might see it being implemented

while still on my mission and it would effect missionaries around the

world. Kind of cool to think about and kind of curious as to why

President Taylor asked me to go. Nearing the end he allowed us to ask

him questions that we had and one of the topics we got on was about

spiritual gifts. He talked about a number of the spiritual gifts

mentioned in the scriptures but also said there are numberless

spiritual gifts out there and the Father wants us to obtain all of

them. What keeps us from them is not coming to the Lord with a

specific question or desiring them. He told us to never stop praying

for them and studying for them and searching for them. What came to my

mind was that we have a Father in heaven that wants us to obtain all

that we can and he wants us to have all of the gifts he has provided

for us. We simply need to ask for them. How wonderful that is that we

can become who we want with the strengths we want by simply desiring

them, asking the Lord sincerely for them, searching, and always

working for them. I really took that to heart. Brother Watson is a

spiritual giant!

Had New Years and didn't get to do anything that crazy because one I'm

a missionary and second because my companion and I had to go to a 8 hr

long meeting that day. It was still good though. Have a great New

Year! Love you all!

Love Elder Caleb Leonhardt